Welcome to the Brenengen Blog

Monday, September 30, 2013

After a long wait, our first 2014 Corvettes arrived and then were quickly handed over to their eager new owners. Our Corvette Specialist, Cullen Harbaugh sold and delivered both vehicles with a special kind of enthusiasm. Cullen had spent the previous days in Las Vegas attending training and driving the new Corvette on and off the track.

This new car represents a huge step forward for the Corvette name and a triumph for Chevrolet. A truly World-Class sportscar.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

This year marked the largest number of vehicles and spectators ever for our Annual Car Show. Over 140 custom cars, trucks, Corvettes and stock cars were on display. Our Car Show is held yearly at our West Salem Chevrolet dealership in July during the La Crosse Interstate Fair. The show is Free to spectators and vehicles and includes awards and a Chicken-Q with proceeds to the Boys and Girls Clubs.

Some incredible vehicles this year including many Corvettes, a 1976 custom Chevy van, a custom 1945 Cadillac coupe that won lots of awards, and many more.

Special thanks to sponsor River City Corvette Club and the many volunteers and participants.

Be sure to check out the links below for some great pics and video walk-through of the show!

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Our extensive remodeling is now complete at our Onalaska dealershipThe
exterior and interior have been completely redone. Outside is the
blue Chevrolet archway with lots of display area. Inside is an
inviting open concept including a spacious Customer Lounge with comfy
chairs, big screen TV, refreshments, complimentary Wi-Fi and a play
area for the kids.The Service Department was also remodeled and enlarged to better serve you.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Last month, Rosemary Johnson stopped into our KIA dealership in West Salem and bought herself a 2013 KIA Soul. A week later, her sister Judy liked Rosemary's Soul so much she bought one too. Another week goes by and the third sister Karen, who lives an hour away, buys her KIA Soul!

The three use their vehicles for normal commutes and travel and say they love the look of the car and enjoy the ride and handling.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

'Team Brenengen' joined a record breaking 5,500 walkers who showed up for this year's Steppin' Out in Pink' event. 'Team Brenengen' included several of our employees, friends and relatives who joined together to support this important cause that touches so many people.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Mike and Karen Keil just picked up their second Chevy VOLT. In April of this year, they bought their first VOLT for Mike to drive. They liked it so much they decided the car would be a good fit for Karen as well.

The fuel economy, features and value were a few of the reasons for their second purchase. Mike says around town he can easily go 44 miles per charge, which for him means he can drive mostly on electric power. By charging the battery during "Off Peak" hours and using the VOLT's
programmable charging system, Mike's energy costs are less than 2 cents per mile!

They love the silent operation and spirited acceleration. "The car is surprisingly quick" says Mike. They also find the car very functional with the hatchback and fold down rear seats. They can easily fit lots of cargo and are able to haul 4 adults and 4 sets of
golf clubs.

The Keil's are a testament to the value, economy and functionality of the Chevy VOLT. We thank them for letting us share their story.

Friday, June 22, 2012

Remodeling has just begun at our Onalaska Chevrolet dealership. The photo above is a mockup of the final look! Along with the exterior changes, the showroom, lounge and Service department are also being remodeled. We will be fully open during this remodel and have made sure you will have no trouble visiting us during this process.
Our Sparta Chevrolet Buick dealership will be remodeled this fall in a matching fashion and our West Salem Chevrolet dealership will follow. We are looking forward to the changes and think they will help us to better serve you!
Check out the link below to see a slideshow of our first steps!
Remodel slideshow

Friday, May 25, 2012

Bob Lachman, Sales Consultant at our Chevrolet dealership in West Salem is retiring after 38 years in the auto industry. Bob has been with Brenengen Chevrolet since the dealership opened 21 years ago.
Bob is moving to sunny Florida with his wife and plans to spend lots of time golfing and lounging by the pool.
You will be missed Bob and we wish you All the Best!

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Our 2011 'Drive Away Hunger' food drive was a great success! Thanks to the generosity of the West Salem, La Crosse, Onalaska, Sparta and Tomah, WI area communities, over 5,000 pounds of food, $3,200 in cash donations from the community and $20,000 from the Brenengen Auto Group have been delivered to local food pantries.

Each of our 6 dealerships had a showroom vehicle for food drop-off throughout December. We also held a one day event on Saturday, Dec 17th at Festival Foods in Onalaska, Hansen's IGA in West Salem, Piggly Wiggly in Sparta and Burnstad's in Tomah, WI.

We would like to thank the participating grocery stores, radio stations, US Bank, Sparta Gundersen Clinic, La Grange Elementary School in Tomah and everyone who donated for their support and generosity.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

The Chevy VOLT is finally here. It has been a long wait for us and we are very excited to be able to showcase this amazing vehicle. These first cars are for demonstration use only but will be followed by units that will be available for sale. See our salespeople for details.

The Chevy VOLT was Motor Trend's Car of the Year and for good reason. Be sure to check out the link below for the full article.

Stop by our West Salem or Onalaska Chevy dealerships to check out and test drive this game-changing car.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

The 2nd Annual River City Corvettes Custom Car show was a success despite some rain in the morning. Held at our West Salem Chevy store, we had lots of great Corvettes, Custom Rods, Stock cars and even the Festival hot rod shopping cart on display.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Our owners, Don and Cheryl Brenengen have been featured with the Boys and Girls Club of the West Salem Area in the magazine 'Automotive News'.

This full page ad was sponsored by Ford Motor Company and was an unexpected addition to the Ford 'Salute to Dealers'. Earlier this year, Don and Cheryl were one of only 4 dealers in North America to receive the 'Salute to Dealers' National Community Service Award from Ford Motor Company for their outstanding corporate citizenship and contributions to the community (see blog post link below).

'Automotive News' is the leading magazine for the auto industry. Don and Cheryl are very excited to have this type of national exposure for Boys and Girls Clubs across the country.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Our 1st Annual Poker Run took place Saturday May 22nd and was a lot of fun for all who attended. This was one of many different events arranged by our Fundraiser 'Fun Committee'. All proceeds are matched by the Brenengen Auto Group and go towards various Charities.

A Poker Run is an event where attendees drive or ride any vehicle they choose (motorcycles, classics cars, trucks, SUV's, etc) along a chosen route and stop at predetermined locations for fun and food.

At the start, poker hands and raffle tickets were purchased for door prizes and other prizes along the route. Starting at Brenengen Chevrolet in West Salem, the stops were Billy's Lantern outside of La Crosse, Hideaway in Chaseburg, The Thirsty Turtle in Stoddard and ended at the Great River Roadhouse located just before DeSoto, WI.

Monday, May 23, 2011

The major storm that hit our area produced a tornado in Sparta that passed through our Chevrolet lot. Thankfully no one was injured. Several of our vehicles were damaged including one vehicle that was completely flipped onto it's roof. A few other vehicles were slid into each other and a few hoods were lifted. Numerous vehicles had their windows blown out.

A large billboard was blown on top of a new Silverado truck.

Check out the slideshow below for pics including our tow truck having a hard time flipping the one vehicle right side up.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Our new Chevrolet dealership in Onalaska is now OPEN for Sales and Service! Located in the former Saturn building on Theatre Rd in Onalaska, our new Chevy store is ready for your business.

We have been busily preparing for this day and have lots of changes in store for our newest location. Over the coming months we will be making lots of improvements. In addition, new and used vehicles will continue to pour onto our lot for you to choose from.